


Playgrounds

by orphan_account



Series: Childhood Memories [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Growing Up, M/M, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 08:39:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/733703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When Harry is 4 he first meets Louis.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playgrounds

When Harry is 4 he first meets Louis. 

It’s his second day at school and so far he has no friends except for a weird kid called Simon who smells and no one wants to hang around with for that selfsame reason. That’s why he’s currently sat on his own on a bench in the playground, watching the older children play football and wondering how long it is until he can go home. 

There’s one boy who’d caught his attention, however: an older lad with scruffy brown hair and a real knack for the game in comparison to his schoolmates, who are charging around like wild elephants while he weaves much more precisely in between them. Harry’s not quite sure what it is about him, but he’s much more fascinating to look at than anything in the crowded yard so he finds himself staring at the boy with real intrigue. 

While he does so, the whole of the rest of the playground seems to fade away until the only thing left is that kid and the ball that he’s clearly about to score with. He’s 30 metres away from the makeshift goals now. 20 metres. 10 metres. Then he scores and of course it goes in, much to the jubilation of his team and the annoyance of the opposing one. 

Looking around him, his piercing blue gaze sweeps across the schoolyard until his eyes finally fall on Harry, who’s still staring in absolute awe of the footballing skills he’s just witnessed. When Harry realises he’s been caught gawping he quickly turns away, blushing, but not before the other boy has begun to walk towards him for no apparent reason. 

Part of Harry is worried that he may have angered him by taking so much interest in something that isn’t his business, however rather than looking annoyed, the boy has an amicable grin on his face as he makes his way across the tarmac. He walks with the same grace that he displayed while playing football, and all of a sudden Harry is hyper-aware of his clumsy awkwardness as the boy with blue eyes finally reaches him and introduces himself. 

“Hey there. I’m Louis.” 

It’s still not quite clear why the boy decided to leave his friends over on the other side of the playground just to say hello to him, but Harry isn’t about to complain about what might possibly be his first friend at school. 

“I’m Harry,” he mutters in his usual slow, quiet tone of voice, and Louis (which to Harry sounds like the best name he’s ever heard) beams at him some more. 

“Well then, Harry, will you come and play with me?” 

His mouth gaping open a little in shock, Harry takes a moment to reassure himself that this isn’t a dream and that a cooler, older pupil has honestly just asked to hang around with him. “I, well, I mean yes, er – play football?” 

Laughing slightly at Harry’s stumbled attempts at conversation, Louis takes his hand as though that’s a perfectly natural thing to do and begins to drag him over to his other friends, who are waiting for him with exasperated expressions on their young faces. 

“Yes, play football, you numpty!” he giggles, however at that Harry to shies away from him in embarrassment. 

“I’m not very good at football,” he reveals even more quietly than usual, but instead of making an issue out of it Louis shrugs and tugs him even closer to his friends. 

“So? It will be fun!” 

With that they’ve reached the line of jumpers that serve to mark out the boundaries of the football pitch; shooting his new friend another beaming smile, Louis runs off after the ball that is now orbiting the playground, their hands still attached as he pulls him along. 

And thanks to Louis, that’s what Harry’s break time and many subsequent ones are: fun. 


End file.
